80 jobs to go at Jersey Post
Tuesday 12th January 2010, 3:00PM GMT.
Communication Workers Union officials make their way int last night's meeting at the Mayfair Hotel. Pocture: David Ferguson (00868362)
ABOUT 80 front-line postal workers are to be made redundant as Jersey Post tries to compete in a changing world.
Workers at the States-owned utility are to be offered a voluntary redundancy package over a four-year period.
The news was broken to the 270 staff in the postal services division yesterday. The announcement was made jointly by company managers and senior officials of the Communication Workers Union.
The workers were told that Jersey Post needed make changes to its workforce if the organisation was to remain competitive and commercially viable in future.
Workers expressed anger at the plans at a union meeting last night. Union leaders said today that postal staff were as concerned about the potential effects on customers and services as they were about their jobs.
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We’ve already noticed that deliveries are getting later and later as rounds are combined to cut down on staff.Yet In Jersey we already pay more than the UK for internal mail deliveries despite the poor service.
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I always feel sorry for anybody who is forced into redundancy.
I do worry though that jobs are being shed from Jersey Post Limited at the same time they are moving all their none letter deliveries from the Post Office to JPID or Jersey Post Logistics or maybe one of their other ‘private’ companies whose accounts are not made public.
It has become a sham really. Jersey Post make redundancies, weakening the membership of the CWU whilst JPID is actively recruiting for new delivery drivers, and trying to win accounts – that in the ‘old days’ would have been serviced by the Posties – to the benefit of the ‘Post Office’, now to be handled by a ‘private’ company with non unionised staff.
Maybe if JPID had not ‘invested’ £3.2m in launching a Ship2Me service that will NEVER earn that investment back, and tries to divert revenue from Jersey businesses. Maybe if they had not invested countless 1000′s in a new pay as you go phone service, in competition with another States business. Maybe if the substantial income was reinvested in the workforce rather than trying to damage other Island businesses….maybe these redundancies would be unnecessary.
What if the three executive directors in the 2008 Annual Report were not paid a total of £451000 – thats just THREE!?
I do not doubt that we all need to be ‘leaner and keener’ in these testing financial times. But I get the feeling that there are some strange things going on at Postal HQ…surely all we want them to do if quickly and cheaply deliver our mail!
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This was always on the cards just like JT. Technology has taken over. We send everything out by e-mail and attachment now, with hardly any letters leaving the building except through DHL. Its okay for Nellie Macon going into a huff about it but these are the times I am afraid.
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You are telling me about redundancy, I have been outside Picadilly Station Shining Shoes for the past 2 weeks.
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Perhaps the threat of redundancy will buck ideas up in the Jersey Post Philatelic Section.
An small, but crucial, order was delayed for three weeks while “stock taking” was in progress. Six email messages and phone calls were needed to get this order, which had originally been promised (in writing) for an overnight delivery.
The sooner Jersey Post employees realise they must operate in a competitive manner the better it will be for all of us.
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Apologies, but I have been moved on by the Metropolitan Police.
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My mail did not arrive until 1.30pm today.
If a UK customer pays for First class then it should be here in the morning.
And why is it they can lose a personnel letter from family but never lose any bills!!
With cuts it can only get worse!
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i understand that not many people send letters anymore but i have never spent so much money with the post office on packets along mith many others i suppose, this really has to make up for it and much more it HAS to?
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#1 I’ve found the Jersey Post postal service to be excellent, including friendly delivery people who genuinely seem to like their job. I hope the service does not diminish because of these cuts.
Without knowing the details of the packages being offered I’ll just say that I hope everything works out for the workers affected.
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Oh dam, they just caught me ‘pan handling’ again.
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time for demos in the streets, mass unemployment
act now
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No.2 @Vic Mel
Where do you get the figure of £3.2M for Ship2Me from? Evidence please? I thought that this is no more than a UK based depot with a UK post code? How do you know that JP will not get its investment back? How can you describe investing in a service that drives more parcel post to the island as not investing in the workforce?
How can JP ‘cheaply deliver your mail’ if the number of addresses and delivery schedules remains the same and the mail volumes (therefore revenues) are dropping annually without cutting costs or increasing revenues through services like Ship2Me?
Can I suggest you get a copy of the Idiots Guide to Economics
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Post No.7 : ‘And why is it they can lose a personnel letter from family but never lose any bills!!’
Bills don’t have a chance of including cash.
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Although I feel sorry for the workers involved this is Voluntary Redundancy of 80 people over 4 years so alot of this will come in natural wastage, if people leave do not replace, and early retirment. Not the same as Jersey Telecom (3) as it is over a third of its workforce by March of this year.
Perhaps if JT had opperated a policy of if someone leaves do not replace there would be no need for what is happening at present. Its the workers that suffer due to poor management.
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No. 12 Wilson Riou
Wilson – I am guessing that you have not got a grasp on the cost of multi Island full page press and television advertising. The cost of setting up a UK depot. The cost of delivering Argos brochures Island wide. The cost of car park side advertising, the cost of airport departure hall advertising. The cost of advertising in Gallery magazine. I am fully aware of the economics involved and have sources very close to the organisation.
Your second point.. “How can JP cheaply deliver your mail”….. without increasing revenues through services like Ship2Me.
THIS IS EXACTLY THE POINT… ANY revenues from any of these ancillary businesses will not go to Jersey Post – as they are part of ‘private’ companies. JPID was lent £4 million by Jersey Post – once this is in JPID – we do not get to see what happens to it. At the same time – all of these new businesses use cheap labour whilst the long serving Posties are made redundant.
Your second point is really my point – if Jersey Post was concentrating on Jersey Post – all would be fine. I appreciate your point on falling letter volumes – but you have said nothing about the contribution from the (approx) 60 million fulfilment packages a year that Jersey Post gets the revenue for – almost without having to touch them. To put this in perspective – there were NEVER 60 million letters a year sent through Jersey Post – so they are actually now in a significantly better position.
Extract from Annual Report:- Mail volumes handled for export or import during the
year, including letters, parcels, express and bulk export, totalled 97.7m items (2007: 85.8m), of which 33.6m were delivered locally.
There we have an INCREASE of 11.9 MILLION items from 2007 to 2008.
So with all respect to your post – the point here is. Jersey Post (clue is in the name) should concentrate on Post in and out of JERSEY – not compete with other States businesses and should support the Island and its customers…not try to use its position to encourage off Island spending.
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I do feel sorry for our postmen & women, they do a fab job whatever the weather. But as someone has already mentioned, some of these jobs will go through retirement and natural wastage.
Technology has taken over with regards to letter post, we have the ability to send any letter by email, it’s there instantly and I don’t have to leave the comfort of my office, it is more cost effective. No surprise there then, JP should be keeping up with the times and future planning.
We are stuck with the parcel side though, if I could teleport my parcel to its destination I would if the cost was cheap enough. I recently received a parcel from the UK, delivered by JP, cost to deliver to Jersey, £3.50, exactly same parcel, but a bit lighter as I had removed some of the packaging and contents returned to the UK £7.96, using the same way of delivery, why is it so much more expensive?
May be there are too many inflated salaries and non-essential positions and that’s why my parcel cost so much to return.
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It’s hardly a surprise is it?
I’m afraid Jersey Post is suffering from a changing world – communication is primarily through texts & emails now
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No 15 @Vic Mel
You said “I am guessing that you have not got a grasp on the cost of multi Island full page press and television advertising.” I most certainly do, and in the depths of the worst recession in living memory (for most people) TV and press advertising has never been so cheap!
You said “The cost of delivering Argos brochures Island wide…” Presumably Argos has paid for that just as they do when they send catalogues elsewhere as part of their marketing costs, and JP get the revenue for delivering! Get a grip!
My original post asked you to provide evidence of £3.2M costs for Ship2Me. On the basis of your responses you can’t. I suggest you retract (to salvage your credibility) or as previously suggested provide some evidence.
You said” ANY revenues from any of these ancillary businesses will not go to Jersey Post – as they are part of ‘private’ companies. ” What private companies are you talking about? The divisions of JP Group? If so then of course the revenue goes to JP ultimately. What’s your point?
Jersey Post is a ‘private company’ it’s just owned by the SOJ. What are you trying to say?
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I’m afraid it’s just a sign of the times. We are all posting less mail because of e-mail and the internet so it’s bound to affect Jersey Post’s income.
I wish I’d been given a 4 year voluntary redundancy window when I was laid off from my job in the finance industry.
We should be pleased that we as tax payers are not being asked to bail them out. It’s a pity that other mainstream States Departments don’t do the same thing and cut their costs when their revenue streams start to dry up.
ST
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My post always arrives on time and the post delivery people always have a friendly smile.
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I expect this means that in the future, those with no computer knowledge will have to deliver their own mail.
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No 16 PJ
The 80 jobs that will be going are not including retirement and natural wastage ,what they really want is to lose 140+ jobs
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During the recent snows I went outside to take a picture of our street.
The roads were devoid of cars, busses weren’t running, kids were having snowball fights and making snowmen.
When I reviewed the pictures from the comfort of in front of a roaring fire, there on the snow covered pavement was our postie doggedly delivering the mail (only slightly late).
Well done all you posties, you deserve better.
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I’m sorry for the postal workers and JT, however at least they have been given warning, I was never given any warning about my redundancy,goodluck to them all to find new jobs, its so difficult, my postman does a brilliant job, thank you to him
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80 Jobs over four years and the rest! Natural wastage is not included in the 80 they have reported they are hoping for that on top so more like 130 jobs to go. Then they employ new posties on minimum wage with no benefits to deliver your post who won’t care what time you get your mail. A postmas annual wage is far from excessive… to earn a decent living they all have to work hours of overtime… but not to worry I am sure income support will look after all these people when they have no jobs.
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Our posties are a credit to their profession, always happy and work damn hard in all weathers….unlike others we can mention.
I am a little confused, however, I was led to believe that internet shopping was increasingly popular and a massive industry which I would think means more post…..so who will be delivering all our purchases????
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I think that the post over here needs changing. I have lived in the island for just over a year, having come over with my partner, who was brought in to work for a local company. There is an awful lot wrong with this place. The pillar boxes are the wrong shape and colour and I don’t like the exhaust fumes from the vans. Even the bicycles squeak, oh dear. They should abolish housing laws and makes sure that anyone can come in. It’s not a bad place, it just needs a campaigner like me to change it. All the laws are really awful and someone told me that you used not to be able to dance on Sundays and you had to paint your front door red (or was it green?). Anyway, it is quite dreadful and needs to be changed.
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No 27. If you don’t like it over here, I’m sure you can find your way to the airport/harbour.
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Marie #27.
There’s one born every minute and it looks as though, on this occasion. it was you!
I enjoyed “Lee Hormes” for the witty p. take, albeit catty.
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You can’t say things like the boat out in the morning. We all live in one big world and we shouldn’t talk about national boundaries [the nation of Islam doesn't after all].
Anyone should be able to move into a country or to an island like Jersey and immediately start criticising the place. The locals don’t have any rights and should not be able to defend themselves against do-gooders and moaners. I tried to tell them this in Saudi Arabia and they put me on a big plane home. Then I started in Australia and they tied me to a kangaroo. I still haven’t learnt my lesson because now I am in Jersey having a go at everything.
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lucky they started that phone company, saved these poor souls didnt it. most companies are on a bread line at the moment so jobs are the first thing to go, but why didnt post, who must have known about this for some time shelve their ridiculous plan to start a frankly uneeded phone company to keep sme of their staff on.
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Marie (#27) clearly lacks a sense of humour.
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#32 She maybe didn’t get it, but since the author made a fundamental mistake (they keep forgetting my partner IS actually JERSEY) I can’t say I blame her.
Only an idiot would try and take a pop without even bothering to get the basic facts straight
Still, made me laugh, and I certainly won’t take anything they say seriously from now on.
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One can’t take any of the verbose and frequent rambles seriously.
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Some people can’t cope with others disagreeing with them, it’s sad, but it’s clearly the way it is. I haven’t changed any views, I know that for a fact, your failure to recognise that life (and most life situations) can be very complex is your problem.
And yes, it may be your island as far as heritage and culture go (I don’t expect to have any say there, just as you shouldn’t with the UK), but when it comes to OUR taxes we ALL have a say. Simple really, it’s that or you should let us not pay tax?
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Incomers are here because it suits them. And they pay taxes. Those taxes pay for services which are used while they are here. It does not confer any right of ongoing residence or any moaning rights.
If you want to see how it is properly done, look at Australia. Big place, strict immigration. And woe betide you if you are one of the “whingeing poms” which Jersey unfortunately seems to attract.
The saying about the boat in the morning has stood the test of time for a good reason. It is true. If you don’t like it, pop on the ferry!
Our postmen do a great job despite what a particular and prolific poster on this thread might try to assert.
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It just goes on and on. Isn’t there a job to go to?
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Quite right Leah, on behalf of we foreign English folk, I say no taxation without representation! NJ.
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So Jersey Post have found a way to circumvent officially making people redundant – change someones job slightly and then make them re-apply for it on a lower salary!!! How very unethical – but will they be the last employer using this means to an end??
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#36 I commended your postal service so what on earth are you on about
“Incomers are here because it suits them.” You haven’t lived have you?
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Leah, how come you speak of OUR taxes [your capitals] but “your” postal service [posts 35 and 40 respectively]? You can’t have it both ways.
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